Last South Koreans Leave Industrial Park in North

SEOUL, South Korea — The last remaining South Koreans in an industrial complex jointly run with North Korea returned home on Friday, terminating, at least temporarily, the final economic ties between the two Koreas.

With the withdrawal of the seven South Koreans, the industrial complex, located in the North Korean town of Kaesong, was emptied out for the first time since it began operating in late 2004.

North Korea removed all 53,000 of its workers from the factory park early last month, accusing South Korea and the United States of plotting to start a war against the North.

After appeals to the North to reverse the decision went unheeded, South Korea decided last week to bring home all of the country’s factory managers from the plant.

The last seven South Korean nationals — five officials and two telecommunications technicians — crossed the border on Friday after completing negotiations over unpaid wages for the North Korean workers.

The Kaesong Industrial Complex had been the best-known — and last remaining — symbol of rapprochement between the two Koreas. More than 120 South Korean factories hired low-cost North Korean labor there in an experiment that supporters hoped would help advance the economic integration and eventual reunification of the two Koreas.

The future of the complex now remains unclear. South Korea urged North Korea on Friday to protect its investments in Kaesong amid concern that the North might confiscate the South Korean properties if the shutdown was prolonged.

South Korea reaffirmed on Friday that it would try to reopen the complex. The country called on North Korea to guarantee that it would not use the economic project as a political bargaining chip.